Where Are They
by AllyraMortlock
Summary: When you know you're going to do something you will regret, always remember to pick up after yourself, and leave no evidence.
1. Chapter 1

Thank you everyone who decided to read this. I originally wanted to write a respectable piece, but that just isn't going to happen... Sorry. Enjoy the hunt anyway ^^

* * *

Clothing was lying everywhere. Black tops, red trimmed armor, pants, shorts, socks, jammies. All of it lay scattered across the floor like the discarded garments that they were. Even the delicate kimono lay strewn about the floor in a disgraceful heap.

"_They're gone..?" _mild confusion.

Knick-knacks torn from shelves. Bedding torn from a futon. Laundry basket turned upside down. Storage chest emptied, its contents nothing but ninja dolls and weapons. Even the poor solitary wind chime serving a life sentence above the door was inspected.

"_They're gone!" _Concern...

Eyes fell upon the traveling bag. Always kept at it's masters side, they were sure to be in it right? With the flap open it regurgitated all items placed into it, once with care.

"_They're gone!" _Panic. Life threatening, earth shattering panic. A hand flew to an ear, "Henrietta! Help Me! They're GONE!"

* * *

Nyanta, Naotsugu and Shiroe sat in the common area, peacefully drinking their tea. At least, they were trying to. Every bang and crash coming from a room on the third floor made two of the three jump.

"Lively up there isn't it." Nyanta said, a bemused smirk stretched across his furry face. When a shriek rang out Shiroe's head snapped up.

"Maybe I should see if everything's OK..?" He murmured.

Naotsugu crossed his arms. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. A woman in a panic is terrifying." The three men nodded in agreement and resumed drinking their tea, attempting to ignore the sounds of a dying animal coming from the third floor.

Within minutes a storm women burst through the front door, startling the three gentlemen. Henrietta led the charge.

"Where is Akatsuki's room?" She demanded of the slack jawed men.

"Third floor. First room at the top on the right nya." Answered Chief. He was the only male with any sort of composure left. They watched as Henrietta led the flood of estrogen through their home.

"_Marielle, Reize, Nazuna, Misa and... Laynesia-hime?" _Shiroe took note of the deadly serious women who ran past him to bound up the stairs.

"This doesn't look good Chief." Naotsugu whispered. "I think we should leave."

"Agreed." The gentleman werecat responded. "How about some lunch?"

* * *

Thank you again for reading this, I'm not sure how often I'm going to be posting, but I hope to have this done fairly quickly. If you haven't read A Night of Nights, and are old enough, I suggest you do so for a little background. It is a hentai so only read it if you are old enough. If you are not, don't worry there will be a very watered down flashback later on. I appreciate reviews both good and bad so feel free to tell me how you feel. ^^


	2. The quest begins

Henrietta knocked softly on the door before slowly walking in. The other ladies weren't quite so quiet, but they approached the scene before them with just as much delicacy. In the middle of the trashed room sat a very still Akatsuki. Her head was bent; tears left trails across the barren landscape that was her expression.

"Akatsuki?" Henrietta whispered. "Akatsuki, talk to us. Whats wrong? Whats missing?"

Henrietta knelt in front of the petite girl as the other girls formed a semicircle around her. Only Laynesia dared touch the assassin, taking her cold limp hand in hers.

"They're gone..." Akatsuki whispered again.

"Yes dear," Maryelle replied gently, "But we can't help you find them unless you tell us what they are."

Akatsuki looked down at herself. She had just returned from her bath to get dressed when she discovered her tragedy. She was only clad in a towel. Looking up to tell the girls she blushed as she struggled to get the words out.

"This is a private problem is it not?" Misa asked. Her tone was cold and hard. She was not close to Akatsuki and had only been brought along due to her presence in the room when the call came through.

When she got a simple nod, Misa stood and closed the door they had left open. Then she proceeded to close the window. She did not know what could cause such a ruckus inside the city, let alone a bedroom, but whatever it was, the neighbors did not need to know.

"OK Akatsuki, everything's closed, only we can hear you. What is it?" Nazuna probed. Reize collected the fallen kimono from the floor and draped it over Akatsuki's bare shoulders.

".. ….. …..." Akatsuki murmured. Her voice was barley audible, but her three words sent the women into shock. Even Misa's hand flew to her mouth in surprise.

After taking a moment to recover the girls reformed their semi-circle.

"When was the last time you saw them?" Misa asked.

"About two weeks ago." Akatsuki mumbled.

"Tell us what happened that day. Were you training with us?" Reize questioned.

"I did. Then I ate supper with my guild. I took up my post for the night guard. Well after midnight I went to check on Naotsugu, he brought home a case of sake..." Akatsuki had to pause in her telling to snarl slightly. "He got my lord drunk." She paused for a breath. " I helped Shi-kun to his room. And then went to bed."

Henrietta pushed her glasses up her nose a bit, even though they had not slipped.

"Ehh? Shiroe got drunk?" Maryelle questioned. Akatsuki was proud of herself when she didn't blush, but simply nodded.

"Did you see them after that? What did you do when you woke up?" Reize questioned, "We need to backtrack your steps"

"Well, After I woke up, I ate breakfast and then went to the bath house. I went to visit Laynesia-hime. Did some minor errands at the market and then came home for supper with the guild." Akatsuki recounted.

"You didn't leave them at the embassy." Laynesia stated softly. " I was with you the entire time."

"And you couldn't have lost them in the market." Misa stated the obvious.

Nazuna's ear twitched, "I suppose it is possible you lost them at the bath house. If you didn't put them in the locker and the maid came through to clean, it is possible they went into the laundry."

"We should also thoroughly search the guild hall." Henrietta stated. "This building has six floors, not including the roof."

"With a resident pervert, and a severely disproportional amount of men to women within your guild," Misa stated, her voice returning to its cold bored tone, "They are most likely still in here."

Maryelle pouted and twiddled with her fingers, "I...I'm sure Naotsugu wouldn't steal them Akatsuki."

The ladies fell into a brief silence, each one thinking to themselves on the subject when Misa stood, "I genuinely hope you find them Akatsuki, but I have duties I must return to. Best of luck." And with this simple statement, she exited the room, shutting the door on her way out. Akatsuki watched her go with blank eyes.

Maryelle didn't hesitate, "Don't worry Akatsuki! We'll find them. We have enough women here for the quest at hand and nothing will keep us from finding them!" The remaining women, smiled in support.

"Right; down to business," Henrietta stated, pushing up her glasses again. The glare from the window blocking her eyes behind their frames. " We will split into three groups of two. Maryelle..." The elf in question cast dubious eyes onto her guild mate. "You and Reize are to search the bottom three levels of the guild house. Akatsuki, Laynesia-hime, You two are to search the top three levels. Leave no door unopened, no crate unsearched." Three of the four women nodded. Akatsuki continued to stare deadpanned, mortified at the thought that someone inside her home could do something like this. "Nazuna and I will search the bathhouse and question the men. Agreed?"

It was evident that the missing item was not in Akatsuki's room. The ladies began to sort and put things away while Akatsuki dressed. It was a major task that none of them should have been doing, but Laynesia-hime had forced the subject with the argument of, "How else will be be able to have the strength to suspect our friends if we don't first clear one room and make it a safe zone?" It was a valid argument. Especially coming from a person of the land.

Once dressed Akatsuki lead Laynesia to the next floor up. "We barely use these levels. The wash dries up here and that is all." Akatsuki stated in a flat tone. Laynesia looked at her, "That is probably why Henrietta-San assigned it to us."

Maryelle and Reize excited the now tidy room that belonged to the assassin and looked at the next room over. It was Naotsugu's. Reize put a hand on her shoulder, "I can do this one alone if you want to check the room on the other side of Akatsuki's." Maryelle nodded, afraid of what she would find if she entered Naotsugu's room. Walking past Her previous location she entered what appeared to be Isuzu's room. "_OK." _she thought to herself. "_This room is safe enough to start in."_

As Henrietta and Nazuna left the room and went downstairs they whispered quietly to each other.

"She isn't telling us everything." Henrietta murmured.

"Aye." Nazuna replied. "Shiroe doesn't drink that often."

"Do you think he took them while she slept?" Henrietta questioned. She didn't like this thought. He was after all the best of men in her opinion.

"He might have finally stopped holding back. He always does you know. Well, We will have to see what he says when we question him." Nazuna replied. The ladies exited Log Horizon's guild hall with a fierce determination on their faces. One hoping that wouldn't find anything when they spoke to the men. The other grinning like a fox on the inside hoping they did.


	3. On the hunt

"Nya?"

Reize and Maryelle screamed out in surprise as a bag of flour was dropped, bathing everything in a snowy powder.

"Oh! Nyanta! Whatever are you doing here?" Maryelle tried to giggle out. Knowing they had been caught Reize offered nothing but a bow of apology.

"I could ask you the same nya." He replied, looking around he sighed at the scene before him. He couldn't even begin to describe it. Trashed, Destroyed, Totaled. None of these words could describe the wreckage of his pristine kitchen.

"Oh...we were..." Maryelle stumbled over her words. Twiddling her fingers she looked to Reize.

"We were looking for something." The mage supplied as she dusted the flour from her blue surcoat.

"That is a little vague ladies nya. May I inquire as to what it was you were searching for nya?" He questioned. One ear ticked back in slight annoyance at the mess as he placed a bag of groceries on the freshly powdered counter.

"Well..." Maryelle tried to start again, "Akatsuki lost something really important you see and we were looking for it."

"In my kitchen nya?" he questioned further. Pulling a small rag from a drawer he began pushing the flour from the counter to the floor to be swept up later. "What is it you are looking for?"

Maryelle didn't want to question the gentleman werecat's motives in all the questions. After all one of the youngest in her guild spent an awful lot of time with him. Instead she busied herself with picking up the mess they had made.

"An important piece of fabric," Reize replied. She had already formulated a plan to ask without directly putting it out there. She gestured with her fingers, "About this big, fairly thin black fabric. We didn't see anything in the towel drawers..." She hoped he would be satisfied with the round-a-bout answer.

"A small piece of black fabric nya?" Chief paused and put a hand to his chin. "No, I cant say I have seen anything of hers down here, let alone any fabric. Have you checked her room nya?"

Marielle struggled with a particularly large pot. As she shoved it back into the low cabinet she nodded, "We've checked all the rooms, the living room, the basement. We saved the kitchen last since we doubted it would be here."

Reize started putting away all the canisters they had removed, "Have you heard from Henrietta or Nazuna?"

"Nya?" He finished clearing the powder from his work surface and unloaded the fresh groceries while the ladies cleaned up their disorder. "Does this have to do with the ruckus from earlier?"

Reize stopped what she was doing and walked right up to him, her face as hard as stone, "Did you take them?"

Chief turned and looked at her quizzically, "Did I take what nya?"

".. ….. …...!" The answer came in stereo.

"Now why would I have something like that nya? She is a good girl, but not to my liking nya." Nyanta stated smoothly. Relief visibly washed over the two women before him. "Now, out of my kitchen nya. I will handle this mess, and then dinner must be started if it is to be on time nya." As the two ladies strode out of the room, they missed a knowing smirk cross the face of the previously interrogated male.

* * *

This day was mocking her. She knew it had to be. Everything had gone wrong. She looked to her companion. She was sitting at the table her hands folded on its surface, a concerned look on her face. Not only had her selfishness caused problems for others like it usually did, but now to her embarrassment, they were helping her look high and low for something so personal. It was her own carelessness. She knew it. There was no point in trying to deny it.

"Akatsuki?" Laynesia whispered. Her ice blue eyes watched the petite ninja pace from her seat. "Please have a seat, you'll wear yourself out if you keep walking in circles.

Taking a seat next to her friend Akatsuki sat. She distantly heard the princess speaking but she couldn't register any of it. Neither could she bring herself to reply. She was sure she would die from horror if she tried to. She simply hung her head as Laynesia attempted over and over again to comfort her.

* * *

The ladies were sweaty as they left the bath house. It had been a fruitless search.

"Well," Nazuna started, "I guess all that's left is to question the dubious men huh?"

Henrietta nodded. "Divide and conquer?"

"I don't think we need to go that far." Nazuna winked. "There's a simple way to ask Naotsugu. Shiroe is the only one who we need to see face to face."

"Oh? And how is that?" Henrietta asked. She was feeling nervous about asking Shiroe. She had hoped Nazuna could question him alone, however it seemed this was not going to happen. The ladies stood by the side of the road and Nazuna put a hand to her ear.

"Oy Naotsugu!" Nazuna greeted as he picked up the call. "There is something I need to ask."

She leaned forward with a menacing grin, even though her pray was elsewhere in the city. " What do Akatsuki's look like?"..."What do you mean what do I mean?"..."Their the only things in the world you care about besides boobs." Even Henrietta could hear him scream over the line. Nazuna grinned evilly before laughing loudly. "Nope. He doesn't have them." The ladies looked at each other. A formidable businesslike expression covered Henrietta's face as her hand rose to her ear.

"Shiroe. Do you have a moment?"... "Can you meet me at the House of Feng? We need to talk"

* * *

I'm sorry for how short this chapter is. And for the delay as well. It would seem I lost my muse when I discovered my...well...mine are missing too. I know this feels kind of like a filler with the lack of description and all and for that I really am sorry. I am planning to have this wrapped up 2 or 3 more chapters. hopefully i get back to it soon.


	4. The interogation

Shiroe starred straight forward. No expression. At least he hoped there was no expression. Before him glared 3 little orbs of light. All of them looking very fierce with their adorable grrrr faces on. He genuinely hoped there was no expression on his face. He knew the proximity to the floating lights was causing his eyes to adjust poorly to the dim lighting in the room. As he tried to stare behind the orbs he could see two women standing on the far end of the round table. Sure he knew who they were, after all it was Henrietta and Nazuna who had called him here. And sure he knew he was still in the same red walled room with the large rotating tabletop that Crescent Moon used when making business deals. What he didn't know was why the lovable little huffy balls of light were in his face.

As he sat there with hopefully a placating borderline bored expression his mind began to drift. He had a fairly good idea why he was called here.

\- _Shortly after having lunch with Naotsugu and Nyanta the three decided to split up. Naotsugu had gone to the shopping district hoping to peek into a few changing booths. Apparently in the mind of the pantie warrior, the all holy notebook of wonders, was always in need of updating.* Nyanta had simply gone grocery shopping. It wasn't until an hour later that Shiroe's stomach dropped. _

"_Ah hello Chief" …"What do you mean the ladies tore up the kitchen? Akatsuki doesn't even try to cook without you and the younger girls are out."…"Oh. Did they say what they were looking for?" _

…_Leached of all its color, Shiroe's face began to sweat. "I see. Have they found them yet?"…"Well, I'm sure they will soon enough." Letting his hand fall from his ear Shiroe ordered another cup of tea. He decided to stay at the restaurant and simply enjoy not working for a change. However with the news from Nyanta he could feel his stress level skyrocket. He opened the bag he kept at his hip and looked inside. He could see the silly little garment peeking out between scrolls, quills, and potions among other nick knacks. And then a stroke of brilliance struck him. Somewhere in all this junk was a gift box. A specific, reusable, lockable gift box. He pushed up his glasses with a smirk as he tucked the troublesome textile into the inconspicuous box. Nope. No cathedral visit for him today. And then Naotsugu called. _

"_Slow down. Slow down. What?"… "Nazuna...asked you..." Shiroe's eyes scrunched up as he leaned forward in an attempt to face palm gracefully. "and you said?" … Shiroe sighed heavily. "Thank you for the warning. It would appear that I'm next. They already asked Chief." … "Yea, they tore up the kitchen pretty bad too. He was as close to pissed as I've seen him in a while." … "What do you mean did I take them?!" … "You know I never go into her room so how would I even get them." and with that statement our easily embarrassed anti-hero hung up on his best friend. As if sensing this to be a sign from the gods he received another call. "Hello?" … "Ah Henrietta. Of course, how can I help you?" he REALLY tried to sound professional and calm. … "House of Feng? Sure. I know where it is" … He gulped before answering. "Sure now is fine. I will see you there."_

He heard one of the ladies clear her throat before re-adjusting his focus. He knew his adversaries in this battle. The cunning and methodical Henrietta. Dance around the topic and let her enemies make their own assumptions. And then he had to deal with the overly rambunctious and over sexualized Nazuna. She wasn't as bad as Nureha though. More like the older sister going out of her way to embarrass you when you first hit puberty. He knew he had to maintain control of his face and blood pressure the most when dealing with her. When neither woman spoke he asked "May I ask why I'm being blinded?"

"We have some questions for you Shiroe." Henrietta stated.

"And we expect complete co-operation" Nazuna purred. "You see..." Nazuna leaned forward on the table, her breasts threatening to fall out of her loosely wrapped kimono "Akatsuki has lost something very special to her and enlisted our help to find it."

"I see. What is it she has lost?" His tone intentionally bored. His eyes intentionally placed above Nazuna's head.

"Oh we think you already know." Henrietta answered. "We want you to take us through the night you drank two weeks ago."

"Does this have to do with the kunai she left in my room? This all seems a little extreme don't you think?" He countered. He wasn't sure if he could recount that night without blushing or squirming. He still thought about it. Frequently. Usually with a few towels handy. In the bathroom. He felt his palms starting to sweat.

"Kunai?" Nazuna turned a confused look to Henrietta. "She didn't tell us anything about attacking someone." Turning her head again to her pray she demanded, "Explain."

Henrietta held up a hand. "If you would please Shiroe. Start from the top. We don't want to miss anything."

Sighing in his defeat, Shiroe reached into his bag and gripped the little box like a lifeline. Seeing his movement Nazuna jumped on it like a honey badger attacking a hyena over a carcass. "Your hand! What are you doing?! I bet your holding them! Pull your hand out this instant!" Running around the table she reached down and grabbed his fore-arm, yanking it up out of his bag. With a confused look he held his hand up, a white square of cloth held loosely between his long fingers. Laughing Nazuna released his arm and went to stand next to Henrietta. "Okay so I got a little excited." She shrugged it off. Inside Shiroe sweat dropped. The moment Nazuna screeched at him like that he had grabbed the cloth he used to clean his glasses. He was going to have to be more careful about this than the had originally thought. Or maybe not. To withhold information is not lying. It is simply not telling. If Akatsuki had told the ladies what had happened that night, he was willing to bet a few bowls of curry that she left out the REAL reason this elusive item was missing. He removed his glasses to clean off the lenses while asking politely, "Ladies I have no problem recounting the other night, but please, get these lights out of my face so I can see."

Chuckling Nazuna dismissed the now sulking orbs. " Alright Shiroe, start talking."

Taking a deep breath and replacing his glasses, The poor half-alv began the daunting task of reliving the most embarrassing night of his life.

"Well, I guess I'll start at the morning. Breakfast with everyone. I believe Chief made rolled omelets, miso soup and rice. Then the children packed up for their training. After they left Akatsuki left to train with Reize. Chief went to visit Roderick. Naotsugu went to the west wing bath to try and peep. With everyone out of the house I made myself comfortable at my desk. I believe I was working on the round tables budget that day."

He paused in his telling of the day to scratch his head. Now was when he was going to have to just say what he had to say and be done with it. Leave out only the juicy bits.

"That all seems normal. Continue." Henrietta pressed. She didn't want to think that she was suspecting Shiroe of being a pervert. She didn't want to even think about Shiroe having access to another woman's undergarments. But she had resigned herself to an unrequited love. She was used to them after all. She was more worried about clearing him with Nazuna who seemed like she was enjoying this way too much. Glancing over at her companion she noted the woman had an expression that resembled the cat who got the cream.

"Well, Akatsuki, Naotsugu, Chief and I all ate dinner together. It was kind of nice without the kids. Afterwards Chief said he would be heading back out to Roderick's after the kitchen was cleaned up. I went up to my office to finish up the paperwork for the round table. Akatsuki started her nightly guard duty and Naotsugu...well..." He shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea where he went." He pushed his glasses up again. "Sometime after midnight he showed back up with a bunch of sake." His eyebrows knit together, "Cherry sake. I don't think I can have that anymore. Anyway. He brought home a bunch of it and barreled right into my office. Belched in my face, and stank to high heaven. Then he went on about how no one was in the house and it would be OK if I drank with him because he was the only one who would see it. He reminded me of how I hold back too much so I locked my door and proceeded to drink."

"The kunai." Henrietta prompted.

"Ah." Shiroe had hoped they would leave it at the drinking. He made an act of thinking by wrinkling his forehead and pushing up his glasses. " We passed out. I don't know when Akatsuki picked the lock and came in but she did. She woke me up and when I tried to get up I got...lightheaded? Yes that's a good word for it. I couldn't stand on my own either so she helped me get to my room. Naotsugu woke up during this and made some comments I really wish he wouldn't have and as usual, she threw a kunai at him. Then she dropped me on my bed and used sneak and silent move to leave." He hoped they hadn't noticed how his cadence of speech had sped up with the night closing. And he hoped the way he relayed it made it seem like nothing was out of place.

Both ladies frowned. "The stories line up." Nazuna stated. "Almost perfectly." Henrietta replied. "I guess we have no choice but to ask directly."

"Ask me what directly?" Shiroe feigned ignorance. He really had to give himself credit. He might make it out of here without a cathedral visit after all.

"DID YOU STEAL AKATSUKI'S LUCKY PANTIES!" Both women bellowed at him from the top of their lungs. He was mortified. And it showed. There were other people in the restaurant dammit! He face started changing colors at a pace that would have made a chamelian proud. Pink to red to crimson to burgundy back up to tomato. Any and every shade was on display on his face. The women gave him a serious look.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD I STEAL A WOMAN'S UNDERWARE!?" Shiroe screamed back. He couldn't handle the embarrassment. It was just too much for his poor introverted self. " No I didn't steal her underwear! I don't even go in her room! And why the hell did you yell that!" He had to put his mancard to the side. He couldn't have a melt down on this level and still keep it in his wallet. The overwhelmed half-alv had tears running down his face. "There are other people in this place Nazuna! I know you don't care about what people think but all of our guilds are on the round table! You can't just..."he began to crumble" you...can't...just yell things like that." he was shaking. Slowly he laid his head down on the table. He was completely mortified. Thank god no one else was there to witness this. Exactly how many times was he going to have to embarrass himself in one month?

From his place, with his head on the table, he could hear the ladies speaking. He heard a slight apology from one of them. Something about they didn't mean to embarrass him like that. He heard them leave. A few minutes after the door had closed and he was the only one in the room he sat up. A smirk gracing his not so pretty face. That performance had really taken a lot out of him, but it had worked. They didn't suspect a thing. He glossed over what he wanted to, melted down in front of them, and all because they had asked the wrong question. "always word your questions carefully." He said to the air. " Steal them? No" He looked inside his bag at the box again. "Have them? Yes."


	5. Illusions

The ladies were reconvening in Log Horizon's living room. There was no point in hiding in Akatsuki's room. All the adults knew what was going on. Thankfully the children had stayed with Serara so they had missed all this "excitement". The ladies sat in a semi-circle silently. Nyanta, equally silent, served them tea. Naotsugu did an excellent job holding up the wall behind the couch. No one knew what to say. They were all out of ideas.

Shiroe walked slowly back to his guild house. He had an uncomfortable feeling that everyone would all be there. He also had the feeling they were all going to stare at him when he walked in. "How bothersome." He thought to himself. "It was all her fault anyway! She left them in my room!" He griped to no one in particular. "It's not like anyone would believe me if I said that. I'm never drinking again." Stopping mid-stride Shiroe paused to look in his bag. "How am I going to get you to her with everyone hovering around her?" He slid his hand into his bag an withdrew the small simple box. After staring at it for a bit he tucked it back inside his bag. He was going to have to go home eventually. Better to start at the simple and contemplate the complex in a secure environment. Continuing his way through the streets to the "burbs" he began to adopt a slouched form. Willing his blood to pool in his face, he tucked his head as he neared his door. No longer lifting his feet as he walked he looked properly humiliated as he pushed open the front door.

He should have put money on that bet. Right as rain, as the heavy door swung open on the well greased hinges Shiroe was met with a bone crushing silence. Every face in the room turned to look at him with dead, defeated eyes. Well, every face but two. Nyanta and Naotsugu nodded at him. One with a schooled look of grievance but with laughter in his eyes. The other held a furry knowing look and his ears twitched with amusement. Being met with such despair he was unsure if he could maintain his facade. He hoped his mortified expression held as he stepped into his home. As he turned around to close the door he pulled the hood of his cape up over his head. Silently thanking the costume designers of the game he turned to face the crowd again an was greeted by the underside of the garment., staring at the floor he trudged his way to the stairs. He paused halfway up when he heard a small voice. It sounded familiar, and his brain said it was Akatsuki, but his brain also said it wasn't her as the voice sounded too small and feeble to come from his strong, diligent sparrow. His heart broke just a little as he continued to his office. He needed to fix this. And he needed to do it now.

* * *

"What happened to Shiroe-sama?" Laynesia questioned. Everyone saw the way he entered the building. She had never in her life dreamed about seeing the great and mighty archmage entering his own home looking so despondent. Even when Akatsuki asked him what was wrong, the only answer she got was a pause as he ascended the stairs. She thought if there was anyone he would have answered it would have been her.

"we may have...pushed him too far..." Henrietta responded. Her face was tilted in such a way that the sunlight hid her eyes behind the shine of her glasses.

Nazuna sighed as she picked up where her companion trailed off, "I think we broke him. We interrogated him earlier this afternoon. There's no question that hes smart so we blinded him, and then we asked for him to recount the events of that night, and then when he didn't say anything suspicious, we...kind of...yelled it at him..."

"I didn't think he was that fragile." Reize murmured.

"He has always been easily embarrassed nya."

* * *

After making it up the stairs Shiroe could hear a conversation beginning downstairs. He sped his pace up slightly to make it to his office as soon as possible. Once inside he locked the door and dropped into his chair. After moving his treasure box from his side bag to the middle of his desk he leaned back with a sigh. "Such a tiny little thing really. And of such small significance to someone but such massive significance to someone else. To an entire gender really." He muttered to himself. As he stared at the little black box his brain started playing tricks on him. He started to see figures in the reflective enamel. Even though they were blurry he could tell there were two of them. And one was significantly larger than the other. Shiroe watched intently as the figures grew more distinct while at the same time remaining just as elusive. He could see the smaller of the two had long dark hair. The taller a short crop of equally dark hair. Maybe a different shade though? Shiroe nodded to himself as the colors became more distinctive. He watched as the taller seemed to move the smaller up whatever it was they were laying on and put its head to the smaller's chest. He watched as the smaller arched it's back.

Realization dawned on him as the taller figure continued touching the smaller. He remembered tasting Akatsuki like that. As he watched the smaller figure roll on top of the larger he remembered the feeling of her moving down his body. Her determination. His eyes were glued to the fuzzy projection on the small cube as the taller one was once again atop the smaller. He remembered being on top of her exactly like that. And he remembered the incredible discomfort he felt before his pants were removed. What his distracted mind couldn't figure out was why he felt it now. With a glance down he saw the reason.

"Dammit" He cursed. This was the exact reason he only thought about the other night in the bathroom. He closed his eyes to the box and temporarily to the world. Will power. That's what he needed right now. Since when had his physical self control been so week as to form an erection without his consent. "That's it. This thing has to go." He resolved. He glared at the box, willing the memories to go away. They were uninvited at the moment anyway. How was he going to get the box to her. "Its not like you can just walk up to her and hand it to her." Turning his head he looked out the window. The sun had set so what he saw instead of the cityscape he had come to love, was a reflection of his office. "Or can you..." a grin spread across his face as he pushed his glasses up. "After all, if you want something done right, do it yourself." Standing he stretched quickly and left the office.

Back downstairs all conversation halted as the mortified Shiroe made an appearance again. This time he paused at the bottom of the stairs and offered a shaken, "I'm stepping out." Perhaps he was over-acting a little, but once he started a strategy he followed it through. Adapt as you go, but no sudden unwarranted changes.

"Oy Shiroe!" Naotsugu said in a comforting, or so he thought, voice, "Nazuna and Henrietta didn't mean anything by earlier you know."

Without responding to him Shiroe turned and walked out the door.

"Shiroe!" Naotsugu called out as the door closed behind the enchanter. "That's it" He announced. "Embarrassed or not there's no reason to drag himself through the dirt like that." With the others agreeing with him that their friend was going too far Naotsugu charged out the front door, only to stop short. Standing in front of the guild house in the middle of the street was someone he had not seen in a very long time. Someone who he had only seen once. Before him stood the plainest looking man in the world. In both worlds if you really thought about it. Plain, forgettable black hair. Dull, grad-student glasses framed sharp, mean looking eyes. Average height. Average weight. Average clothing. In his hand he held a simple black box.

"Kei?" whispered a startled Naotsugu. He gave up trying to close his mouth and focused instead on rubbing his eyes. "This cant be right..." He muttered.

"Its ok Naotsugu. Your seeing things correctly." Said a perfectly calm Shirogami Kei.

"but...how...?" Naotsugu started but was cut off.

"Careful. Always make sure the question you are asking is what you want to know." stated the outwardly calm grad student. He climbed the 4 stairs leading to the entryway to the guild hall. Putting a hand to the doorknob he turned , "Oh, and stay here for a bit." Turning back he gathered his actual confidence for this last solid move. It was time this awful day came to an end. He knocked three times on the door before letting himself in, acting like a person of the land simply running an errand.

* * *

The next chapter will be the last one! I'm so happy to be done with this part. I had such a hard time getting it done, and the worst part is, it isn't even that long. It kind of makes me want to cry. Thank you all for reading and reviewing and all that jazz. And sadly I have to admit, I kind of envisioned shiroe having a LOTR moment. When borimeir (yea I spelling his name wrong but I didn't like his character!) went to take the ring in the woods. Such a tiny thing but such a burden or something like that. Its been a good minute since I saw the movie or read the books. Sooo yea. All of a sudden lucky panties equal the ring of power. HELL YEA! WOO!


	6. The Return

_Confidence. _Shiroe thought to himself. He had to maintain confidence to pull this off. _Confidence, Politeness. Greet the princess first. _Shiroe continued to chant internally all the proper makings for a butler or other servant as a person of the land. No one would recognize him except Naotsugu. Hopefully he stayed outside. As he approached from the doorway he saw no one had moved from their respective place. Akatsuki in the middle of the couch, Laynesia on the left. Reize on the right. Maryelle and Henrietta shared the love seat. Nazuna sprawled solo on the opposing love seat. Nyanta stood off to the side, serving platter tucked under his arm from when he served the tea.

"Pardon me" Shiroe murmured. His voice intentionally low and soft. He approached the group with his head held high, his strides even, and his heart pounding a mile a minute.

"Can we help you nya?"

With just a glance in Nyanta's direction, the boring looking Kei bowed formally before the women. "Please forgive the intrusion Laynesia-hime. I have been instructed to deliver something to a one Akatsuki of Log Horizon as well as a message." He stayed bowed until the princess addressed him.

"A delivery you say? Would you please tell us from whom it is from?" Replied the princess with a wave of her hand, signaling that he could stand straight again. If it was a princess she was addressed as, it was a princess she would have to be. The women all starred at him with a confused expression. Akatsuki in particular, was dissecting his face.

"I must apologize Princess. I have been sworn to secrecy as to whom my master is, and it is my duty to protect his identity." _I hope she doesn't catch that slip. Calm down Shiroe. You can do this. Drop the box, correct their interrogation skills. Leave. That's all you have to do._

"I see." The princess's face adopted her normal bored look she used when doing anything official. "Then could you at least tell us, from where does your lord hail?"

_Remember Shiroe, Region leads to identification. We can't have false accusations thrown around at the idiots of Estal. _"I believe my lord refers to the road in front of his estate as; Dogenzaka street? An odd name, but I have since stopped trying to understand his vocabulary."

"Shibuya then? Your lord is an adventurer" Henrietta questions. The voice of this mundane man is way too familiar for comfort.

"What is your name?" The Princess questions. "I have planned to explore the city of Shibuya next time the ladies get together. I would hate to run into your lord and not inform him of your superior skill and loyalty."

_Shit. _"My name is Kei Princess." _I hope that buffoon didn't tell anyone my name. _As Shiroe tells everyone in the room his real name he can feel his palms beginning to sweat. He needed to follow through with the plan. Enough questions. "If I may princess, I would like to do my duty so I may return to my lord. With it being dark outside, he will need tending to. He doesn't function well after the sun goes down and it is a long walk back."

"Of course" the princess moves her hand in another wave of dismission. "please do."

Stepping forward Kei places the small black box on the table before Akatsuki. Looking at her questioning face he states in a ,what he hopes sounds well rehearsed, voice, "I am to inform you, Lady Akatsuki, that my lord wishes to remind you, always be specific in your words, that being inconspicuous will get you what you desire better than being noisy, and to never leave anything behind." Bowing low he steps back before addressing the princess again. "I apologize for interrupting your private time Laynesia-hime. At your will, I will be returning to my lord."

"One more question, if you would Kei." The princess states with a borderline defensive tone.

A sharp bow. "Of course Princess." _Now what?! Let me leave so this can all be settled._

"That was a harsh message for you to deliver. If your lord is indeed an adventurer, why did he not contact Akatsuki directly?"

_Oh. I should have thought about that._ With a sigh, poor invisible Kei states, "I do not pretend to understand my lord's actions. I follow the orders given to me. All I know is that he has asked Shiroe the archmage for assistance, heard of a disruption from Lady Akatsuki and has taken steps to rectify the situation so as to assist Shiroe-sama and avoid future problems caused by errors or distractions."

Akatsuki stood from her place. Laynesia looked at her friend, worry knitting her brow. All eyes watched as the petite ninja approached the messenger. He could feel his pulse quicken further. He knew she was smart. Did she figure him out? He hopped not. Shiroe's confidence began to sink as she closed the distance. Reaching up Akatsuki grabbed him by the collar and yanked down forcing his face down to her level. Moving the standard grad-school glasses down his nose she took a long hard look at his eyes. She knew those eyes. She knew the wrinkle between his brows he got while he was thinking. She knew that voice. She had heard someone else practice speaking like that before dealing with lords. Even if he didn't know she had. His eyes confirmed who he was, but what she couldn't figure out, was how he had changed his shape so suddenly. She understood what was happening. Instead of blushing at the realization she released him. As the inconspicuous man stood strait again she gave a simple, "Please inform your lord, I appreciate the advice and thank him for his gift."

With a quick bow to Akatsuki, and another to the princess, Shiroe fled the room as if someone strapped Dynamite to his back. As the door shut behind him he could hear Nazuna, "Well that was interesting. What's in the the box?"

* * *

As he re-entered the dark street he saw his loyal tank waiting for him, arms crossed, and an irritated look on his face. With a quick motion he led his friend to the side of the house in case someone chased after him. Once around the building Naotsugu heard a whisper. It sounded like someone saying "Dispel" but he wasn't quite sure. What he WAS sure about, was that he watched as the avatar glitched, like a bad video card was in use, and the form he was used to seeing reappeared to him.

"What the hell was that?!" Naotsugu more yelled the question than asked it. A quick glare forced him to quiet his tone. "Shiroe what the hell just happened. How did you do that? WHY did you do that?"

Leaning against the side of him home Shiroe responded quietly in his normal voice, not the forced embarrassed one, or the pompous servant one, "How else was I supposed to give it back to her with everyone hovering?"

"So you did take them? You told me you didn't. And when Henrietta and Nazuna asked you said you didn't. You don't lie Shiroe. I know you did get embarrassed, but you don't lie..."

"I didn't lie. You asked if I took them. Henrietta asked if I stole them. I did neither." A push of his glasses. "No one asked me if I simply had them." He nailed his friend with a look that could kill, "And since you were there, sort of, you didn't ask if she left them either."

"So..." The panty warrior crossed his arms, "What you're saying is that when she left in the morning she forgot them and you didn't want to give them back. I knew you were a closet pervert." A grin spread across the tank's face. "I never knew you had it in you. I bet you sniffed them every night!" This caused the formerly recomposed Shiroe to blush again, this time from an honest embarrassment. As Naotsugu laughed he looked up to the sky just in time to catch a bird dropping. In the middle of his forehead. "Dammit! It's Akatsuki's curse!"

Shiroe smiled as he watched his armor-clad friend freak out and try to scrub the offending fecal matter from his face. He succeeded in spreading it more than removing it.

* * *

Akatsuki bowed as the ladies filed out of the guild hall. After opening the box and closing it again without disclosing the contents, Akatsuki had claimed extreme fatigue from the day and wanted to go to bed. The ladies, filled with understanding promised to go shopping for a new pair of panties for her. None of them suspected a stranger from Shibuya could have sent her her underwear; so it was assumed they had been eaten by the monster in the laundry room and would have to be replaced. Instead of going to bed though, Akatsuki had somewhere else she needed to be. After her friends had all left she headed up the stairs. Her lord had come back in during the discussion of where to shop and slipped up to his office. Nyanta had returned to the kitchen to fix snacks for the children, who were expected to return any minute now, and Naotsugu hadn't returned since following the enchanter outside prior to the ordeal.

Opening the door to the study she saw Shiroe calmly working. She had no idea what he was scribbling about, or even if he knew she was there. Closing the door she walked calmly up to the desk. Her nerves were long spent so she didn't bother getting embarrassed as she asked her blunt question. "Why did you have my underwear Shi-kun?"

Looking up from his paperwork, Shiroe looked her directly in her eyes. He was emotionally drained as well, and responded just as bluntly, "You left them in my room when you left."

This answer irked her. She knew she had been careless, but how could she have been THAT careless. "Why didn't you give them back?" Her eyes narrowed as she leaned forward. Her tiny fists balled on her tiny hips. "You didn't do anything perverted with them did you?"

"Of course not. I'm not Naotsugu. I put them in my bag so no one would find them. That would cause trouble."

"Why didn't you give them back when you saw them?" Her face relaxed. It cost more energy than she had to stay mad at him.

"Honestly? It was too embarrassing. I was hoping to slip them into your laundry while it was being washed but my timing was always off. And it's not like I can sneak into your room. We both know I wouldn't be able to get away with that." Shiroe leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.

Nodding Akatsuki asked one final question, "Shi-kun, how did you change your shape like that?"

Taking off his glasses Shiroe pinched the bridge of his nose, "I was made aware of the spell after the fall fashion show. I had been trying to figure out how to cast it for some time. After...That night. I thought you would be mad at me and I figured it out. It is called overlay."

Akatsuki thought about the answer she had been given. She could see how he might think she would be mad at him. After all she hadn't left in the most graceful of fashions. "I understand."

Returning his glasses to his face Shiroe took a deep breath and stood up. Crossing over to where Akatsuki stood he placed his hand on top of her head. It was a gesture they were both comfortable with. When Akatsuki looked up though she saw how serious a face he wore.

"What I need you to really understand, is the face I wore in front of everyone, is my old face." There. He had said it.

Comprehension dawned on her. She had figured out it was him, but she hadn't thought he would have used his actual face in that sort of situation. Something stirred in the bottom of her stomach. Unsure of what she was feeling, she decided she was too tired to feel anything but admiration for her lord's bravery at exposing himself, and the feeling in her stomach was just gas. The only thing her squishy gray matter (because her brain had ceased function a long time ago) could conjure to ask was, "And the name Kei?"

"My real name is Shirogami Kei." He stated as he removed his hand from her space.

An introduction. Her fuzzy brain mass could handle that. Bowing politely Akatsuki smiled, "And I am Akiyama Keiko."

After the introduction Akatsuki dismissed herself to her room before things could get awkward. As Shiroe sat behind his desk he smiled to himself. Not only had he shown her his real face, but told her his real name! A little energy made itself known as he felt a tiny bust of joy within him. In response, she had given him her name. It broke from her role play. Which meant, in his eyes at least, that she genuinely trusted him and not everything she did was the under the guise of being his ninja. As that thought passed though his stomach plummeted like bricks being dropped from a high rise. Now all he had to do was figure out what was the college student Keiko and what was the ninja Akatsuki. A sweat drop made itself comfortable next to his temple as he realized the challenge before him. Sighing he picked up his quill and distracted himself by resuming his paperwork.

* * *

A few hours later the small water clock on Shiroe's desk dinged happily as it reset. Quietly telling it's companion it was midnight. With a sigh the enchanter began packing up his papers when he heard; or rather saw, a large and horribly pungent creature in armor fall through his doorway. Dejavu struck Shiroe as he saw his best friend, in a dreadfully drunken state, stagger towards him carrying a suspicious bottle.

"SSSSHIROE! DRINK WIF MEE!" Wailed the awfully intoxicated tank.

The dark haired half-alv's face was pulled almost painfully into an expression flatter than the paper he had just written on. Grabbing his friend by the shoulder of his armor, the enchanter marveled at the sudden burst of strength and threw the panty warrior out of his office. The only word utter was a very stern "No." The last sound that resonated through the guild hall that night was the wail of a man mourning the loss of his drinking partner and the woes of closet perverts. Thankfully a branch snapped from the central tree, knocking out the hentai so the other occupants of the house could continue sleeping.

* * *

Dogenzaka street- actually exists in Shibuya. I'm pretty sure it said somewhere that that's where Shiroe and Naotsugu are from and it has tons of restaurants and such so here we go. Convenient street name.

As for Shiroe learning Overlay. Well, if your nemesis showed up, showed you a spell that let you move around undetected and then tried to seduce you...cant you all see Shiroe only really caring about that really awesome spell more than the overuse of boobs in that scene? I bet his strategist's mind went right to work trying to figure it out until it got distracted with problems like being watched.

Her name...Honestly I spent a long time looking for her name and I couldn't find it. What I DID manage to find was a translation of Akatsuki saying it meant red moon (which is kind of creepy considering the end of the opening credits shows a red moon) and as her original character was the exact opposite of her irl. Tall and male, I thought her name should be the opposite of her in game name. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure one of the meanings of Keiko is "sunny child" Akiyama just sounded good with it ^_^

Thank you everyone who went on the hunt with me. Everyone's cheerful comments really kept me going because I kept loosing my inspiration. Then I would get a comment screaming Devious! Or someone laughing that Shiroe was broken, and someone telling me my story gave them warm fuzzies. It really helped me get through this and I am really thankful for all of you. I want to write another Log Horizon fic, but at the moment all the story lines I'm coming up with are so...we'll call them complex, I'm overwhelming myself, so if anyone has any suggestions I am all ears. Thank you again for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it.


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